Nicaragua Tourism for 2012

Tourism in Nicaragua continues to grow while in many places in the world it is scaling back due to world economy or other local factors like in Mexico.

That being said the economic recession in the US and the world could not have come at a worse time for Nicaragua. Just when tourism was getting ready to explode the economic downturn started in 2008. Many tourist projects that were started a few years prior have had to try and weather the storm. One example is the many beach developments that were started on the Pacific coastline like Gran Pacifica and Hacienda Iguana. These were large projects that got started with a lot of funding before 2008 but since then have struggled to sell properties and many property owners/investors are looking to sell theirs because of financial difficulties back in the US.

In spite of these difficulties these beach developments have done an outstanding job of maintaining their facilities and keeping the grounds looking nice. Gran Pacifica is a great example because even though construction is at standstill they are still able to have a full service restaurants and upkeep of the current facilities. Nothing in the development makes you feel that it is being neglected due to budget problems. If these places can weather the financial storm for a few more years they will be in great position for the tourism boom that is bound to happen. Surfers have been a huge blessing to many of these developments because many of them have either bought property in these places or will rent a condo or house for a week at a time. For surfers Nicaragua is still a very attractive option because of its location and affordability as a premier surf destination.

Granada’s tourism appears to be thriving with the park and many of the great restaurants filled with foreigners from all over the world. Europeans love to visit Granada because of the abundance of history and culture. The real estate market has been hit in Granada with fewer foreigners having the financial means to purchase a retirement property but many of the hotels are doing amazing regularly selling out all their rooms to visitors to the city. It is no surprise because Granada has so much to offer with the islands, the lake, the volcano, the park, the restaurants and more. Granada is currently in plans to expand their streets and improve the pier at the lake which could create another tourist spot for the city.

In the coming years you can expect tourism in Nicaragua to continue to grow at a steady pace until the world economy picks up. I would expect great things in the coming years from places like Ometepe and Rio San Juan. Both places have future plans for a runway to land planes. Ometepe may even have flights coming in from Costa Rica. Both Ometepe and Rio San Juan are slightly harder to access but with better accessibility they will be mainstream Nicaraguan tourist destinations.

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Comments

I would love to see more on Big Corn Island, i believe this Island has so much to offer that unfortunately gets ignored due to Little Corn Island. I feel there needs to be a fair comparison between the two Islands.